Cautious welcome for big new Aldi superstore plan

PLANS for a new Aldi supermarket at Daybrook could be approved tomorrow night.

Gedling Borough Council's planning committee will vote on the proposal at a meeting in the Civic Centre at Arnot Hill Park .

If approved, the 990-square-metre store at the old Daybrook laundry site in Mansfield Road, which has been derelict for over five years, would create around 30 jobs, see a new access road and car park, include a bike stand and sit on existing bus routes.

Most local shoppers backed the plans, but some raised concerns over the potential choice of use for the land.

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Sue Brown, 51, of Byron Street, said: "It's better than having a pile of bricks, but do we really need another supermarket?"

The proposed new store will be a stone's throw from Arnold Sainsbury's and less than a mile from Asda in Front Street.

"I've been going to Sainsbury's for 15 years now and I'm happy with it," added Mrs Brown.

"Why not build something for the kids around here?

"They don't have a lot to keep them occupied in the evenings."

Tony Howitt, a gas engineer from Gedling, shops nearby.

He said: "Get it built. People need an alternative supermarket that fits their price range. Twenty-five jobs doesn't sound a lot but it's better than what we've got now."

Katrina Edwards, 32, from Lowdham, often shops in the area when visiting her parents.

She added: "I think it would be more beneficial as affordable houses, which would help younger people in the area get on the property ladder. Then again a supermarket would create jobs, which is always useful."

The site was given planning permission for 115 new homes in 2007.

But developers Daybrook Ltd didn't go ahead because of the recession.

Roy Fox, 65, retired, of Gedling, added: "It would be good for the local economy and offer some competition as we don't have a low-cost supermarket around here. But parking could be a problem."

Councillor for Daybrook Peter Barnes, also a member of the council's planning committee, thinks any development on the derelict site would be welcomed.

He said: "It would be better than it is now if it was houses or a supermarket. It's just a load of bricks at the moment, a mess."

Adding that residents, on the whole, warmed to the idea of a new supermarket, Coun Barnes said Aldi would offer healthy competition for the nearby Sainsbury's and Asda.

"Either way it will tidy the place up because it's been an eyesore for a number of years," he said.

Aldi is confident that its plans, if approved, could help boost local employment opportunities.

A spokesperson said: "If we are successful, we would look to employee up to 30 full and part-time staff."